More than 500 people hospitalized in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. – As two Central Florida counties begin their temporary lockdown orders Friday, coronavirus cases around the state continue to rise with 3,198 cases reported in Florida, a jump of nearly 300 compared to earlier in the day, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The FDOH dashboard also includes how many people were hospitalized statewide and in each county due to the respiratory illness known as COVID-19. As of now, 503 people in Florida are hospitalized, according to those numbers.

There are 46 people who have died from complications due to coronavirus.

Statewide, with multiple FEMA and Florida National Guard testing sites in full swing, more than 32,468 people have been tested for the virus. More than 9% of those came back positive, officials said.

Since the first person in Florida was reported to have the virus less than one month ago, Florida has seen a steady rise in cases daily, however, the state on Wednesday saw its largest increase in one day with 548 new cases.

The House passed and President Donald Trump signed a $2.2 trillion package to ease the coronavirus pandemic’s devastating toll on the U.S. economy and health care system, even as a maverick conservative threatened to delay passage until most lawmakers return to Washington for a vote.

In Florida, people trying to apply for unemployment benefits report they are unable to make claims online or get through on the phone. Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity received more than 103,000 applications for reemployment assistance this week, a significant spike from the nearly 5,400 applications it received the week of March 7.

About the Author:

Emilee is a digital journalist for News 6 and ClickOrlando.com, where she writes about space and Central Florida news. Previously, Emilee was a space writer and web editor for the Orlando Sentinel and a producer at the Naples Daily News.